Tag: top10

This year i have decided to make things simpler, as i don’t play many new games, my top 10 is not changing that much and i don’t have what to say about older games. So, only EN post this time and only lists without explanations 🙂

As usual as the year comes to an end i present a renewed list of my all time favorite games. Though Top 10 hasn’t changed that much, but the list of played games grows every year. This time i gave a try to Pub Meeple’s board games rating system. Which shows you a few games from your list and you have to pick which of two is your favorite and it slowly builds your list this way. This year there was 91 game on the list. Maybe next year i will be able to do Top 100 🙂

10. Santiago de Cuba (new) – i’ve been playing this game for maybe 5 years, but only recently i started to appreciate it more, so it managed for the first time get to Top 10. Simple euro style game, in which you constantly have to decide whether to benefit you or harm your opponent 🙂

9. Cacao (+1) – last year it has dropped one step and now it is back to 9th place. Mostly because of new expansions that have appeared in Yucata. Which was a refreshing wind for this simple, but pleasant euro game.

8. Guildhall (new) – new game i have experienced this year and already managed to get its spot in Top 10. Unique and interesting card game with some interaction and often unexpected ending.

7. Carcassonne (-3) – an old classic on my list, dropped a bit as i haven’t played it that much this year. But i remember the last play of it, when i managed to steal a win with a huge farms score 🙂

6. Ticket to Ride (-) – the thing that it hasn’t changed it spot only shows that this game will always has a place in my collection and will be high on the list. One of the best “gateway” games to introduce new players to the hobby and lure them into modern board gaming world.

I have changed the title as this year i wasn’t able to try out enough games. But i won’t change the picture because of that 🙂 Still, i have tried out 7 new games, which is still a lot for not a very active gamer. Again, this is just new to me games i have tried this year. Not necessary released during 2017, though there are 2 such games on the list. Here we go.

7. Imhotep – wanted to try this games since it was nominated for Spiel des Jahres awards. But it didn’t live up to my expectations. There is little room for strategy and planning ahead and too much depends on luck.

6. Cat Box – one of a few Kickstarters i have backed. Cute little game. A bit too simplistic, but beautiful art makes it popular among my female friends. This has become the most popular game lended from me 🙂

5. Legendary Inventors – haven’t tried it enough times to review it, but it is a pleasant resource allocation, engine building game. Although it is a very simple game, i would still remove one part from it (runs of numbers) to make it even more polished and streamlined.

4. Jump Drive – one of my most favorite games, Race for the Galaxy, is a bit overwhelming for new gamers with all the actions and various icons. Jump Drive is a simplified version of an older game, but also unique on its own. Quick, simple engine building game which also scratches itch to play its bigger brother.

3. Avenue – my first Roll and Write game (well, in this one cards replaced dice). I wanted something similar for family nights as it is very simple and reminds bingo games that are popular here. But this has more choices, which makes it actually a game. Very simple, but takes almost no space, very fast and has that pleasant tactile feeling of drawing paths on a paper. Also, clever scoring system.

As i play lots of new games during the year (not necessary released in 2016, just the games i have first time played this year), i thought it would be interesting to make a list of such games and rank them.

10. Smash Up – i’ve seen a number of reviews of this game and its expansions, also saw others playing it live. It’s concept looked interesting. Granted, i have only tried a few decks on Steam, so maybe overall impression would be different after trying more decks. But after playing it, it become clear that it’s not so good. Many cards in your hand are just useless trash and situation with bases is chaotic and ever changing.

9. Automobiles – another game with an interesting mechanism. I’ve played a number of various deck building games, but this was my first bag (or pool) building game. In theory it’s very interesting. But in practice it seemed to chaotic and luck driven. One turn you barely move, next turn you jump half of the track ahead. It’s also annoying to constantly having to check what color does what on the cards as they change in every game and it is not so easy to remember them all.

8. Las Vegas – very simple, maybe even overly simple, game. You jusy roll the dice and select what money spot to put them on. I suspect it should be more fun playing it live. But it is also a nice time filler playing online.

7. The Witcher Adventure Game – again, played it only on PC against AI. but i think it is enough to see that this is not an Adventure at all and more a “collect x of this tokens to turn into points” type of game. It still has some of the Witcher flavor and is an ok game, but can become repetitive and boring very fast.

6. The Voyages of Marco Polo – this game gives me the most headache to rate it. By all means it should be fighting to take a spot in my Top 10 of all time. It is a great euro game with an interesting dice allocating mechanism and variable players powers. And i love contracts fulfilling part of it. BUT. The travelling part throws me off. It is just too complicated and time consuming and takes too much time off the main part of collecting resources and fulfilling the contacts. You can’t do both, so you have to choose which one to do or just not do travelling at all. And the game is over too quickly to manage to travel even for one of your tickets. So, i love one part of this game and hate the other one. Maybe i will have to play it live to see how exactly other players manage those parts to make it a pleasant game. Read More

As i have done last year, i will provide a list of games that are best for me (as of now, 2016). There will be games which i maybe haven’t played this year or haven’t played much, some games are older, some a new. As this is second time i am doing this, i will also provide numbers of how this list has changed (which games dropped or got higher, new games on the list, etc.).

10. Cacao (-1) – tile placement is one of my favorite mechanisms. This game is so easy and fast and yet providing meaningful choices. It also scales well. And the thing that it looks gorgeous only helps. It dropped one step, but in general it’s the same spot as last year 🙂

9. Magic: The Gathering (new) – although i haven’t included this game on my last year’s list, this is still the most played game of mine. And the most hated game on the other hand. By the way, i haven’t ever played the paper version of it. Only the PC version (Magic Duels at the moment). I like it’s concept and it is really addicting (which explains why i still play it almost every day for 7 years probably). But i can’t rate it higher because of enormous luck of starting hand. It can either give you a win or make you concede right away. Other modern card games have ways to deal with that. Either letting you to choose your starting hand or remove just some of the cards and draw replacements. Magic only lets you redraw the whole hand, which might leave you with as bad hand as it was (or even worse). Magic feels dated, but i still like it, so it deserves a spot on this list.

8. Race for the Galaxy (+2) – still one of the best card games, with simultaneous action selection, multiple usage of cards. It’s rather quick to play, when everyone knows how to play it. But it’s a nightmare to teach someone. That’s why it doesn’t get played that often.

7. 7 Wonders (-) – as last year it takes the 7th spot completely unintentionally 🙂 I like drafting. 7 Wonders is the ultimate drafting game. Simple enough to teach and really quick even with 7 players. Although it can get dull after a while as you do almost the same every time. But expansions help spice it up a bit. If i ever get Babel expansion it might jump a little bit higher.

6. Ticket to Ride (-) – another undying classic on this list. Still going strong. Although i have only played it on PC this year, but i still like most of the maps (Europe is what i own and it still feels the best). I have also tried the incredible Anniversary version. It can even go higher when i try the newest UK and Pennsylvania maps. Read More